Danmachi: Is It Wrong to Be the Main Character in Orario?

After reaching the 39th floor Safe Zone, the members of the Loki Familia and Hephaestus Familia collapsed as if all their energy had been drained. Everyone lay sprawled on the ground, completely spent.

Their faces were flushed, and they could only lie there, gasping for breath.

Their stamina, spirit, and willpower had been utterly exhausted.

The Black Dragon's roar had struck too suddenly. It was even more devastating than a Monster Feast, nearly wringing every last drop of strength from them. Otherwise, advancing just seven floors wouldn't have left everyone so completely wiped out.

But that single roar had indeed been lethal.

Nearly none of the lower-level Adventurers had managed to withstand it.

Even among the higher-level Adventurers, quite a few had been severely shaken.

That was the suppressive power the Black Dragon held over weaker Adventurers. Unless one had reached a level capable of resisting the Black Dragon, this overwhelming pressure couldn't be neutralized.

Bell, hidden in the shadows, quietly observed the scene and let out a faint sigh.

'Looks like our pace is going to slow down.'

'I just hope we don't fall too far behind.'

He didn't know the exact schedule, but as long as the delay wasn't too great, it shouldn't cause serious issues.

Besides, the "Spirits" likely wouldn't move so quickly either.

…

The effects of the dragon's roar hadn't been limited to the Adventurers—those on the "Spirits" side were likely hit hard as well.

"Damn it!"

The man in the white mask slammed his fist into the wall.

Glaring at the fetus in front of him that had nearly been ruined, he was so furious he almost cursed aloud.

But he reminded himself—this was the deepest floor, territory belonging to the Black Dragon. If he said anything too extreme, he might draw the dragon's attention, which could cause no end of trouble for his goddess. He had no choice but to swallow his rage.

Lowering his head, he looked down at the fetus in his arms, thankfully still intact. The sight offered him a sliver of comfort.

At the very least, the child he had nurtured so carefully wasn't lost.

As his emotions calmed, a fanatical gleam flickered in his eyes.

"Goddess, the Loki Familia will be your first prey."

"As long as you can capture Aria, you'll be able to witness the light of Orario with your own eyes."

At that moment, the man resembled a zealot consumed by religious fervor, offering his everything to the goddess he served.

But the object of his faith was nothing more than a fetus born from a "Spirit"—a surrogate at best.

To treat something like that as divine faith... it could only mean the man had already lost his mind.

And yet, even in that madness, he retained the capacity for rational thought. He knew full well that the Loki Familia had chosen this location as an exploration target.

His goddess desired Aria—how could he not be aware?

That's why his current mission was to raise the goddess's fetus and use it to retrieve Aria from the Loki Familia.

The man believed that if the goddess could obtain Aria's body, she would gain power far beyond her current state. It was a command from the goddess, and he had no intention of shirking his duty.

Originally, if not for the disruption caused by the dragon's roar, he would have been able to accelerate the nurturing process. It would've given the Loki Familia an overwhelming surprise. But now, everything had been ruined.

The method for nurturing the fetus was simple—feed it large quantities of Magic Stones. Doing so would allow the fetus to grow into a more powerful entity, perhaps even establishing a connection to the goddess deep below.

Unfortunately, the roar had killed off all the "Virgas," and the vast amount of Magic Stones he'd collected had been shattered, leaking most of their energy.

Now he would have to gather them all over again.

What could have been completed ahead of schedule now had to be postponed.

He didn't know how long the delay would be, but he couldn't leave the fetus unattended. Otherwise, it would surely become prey to roaming monsters.

Letting it out of his sight before it was fully developed would be a critical mistake.

Yes—he was thinking of Revis, the one who had already lost a fetus.

That woman's carelessness had allowed Orario to steal it away.

If not for her blunder, one of the fetuses would already be complete, and they wouldn't be struggling to collect Magic Stones again now.

Looking down at the fetus in his arms, the man's mad eyes hardened with resolve.

"I'll prove that no one is more worthy than me to be your guardian."

As he looked up, he failed to notice the fetus—still encased in its gelatinous cradle—open its large, malevolent eyes just slightly.

Those eyes held nothing but mockery and amusement.

But the man never saw the expression worn by the object of his devotion...

...

39th floor Safe Zone.

After a short rest, the entire expedition team began setting up camp.

This time, they would get a much-needed, extended rest.

They were scheduled to rest for two full days.

"Two days of rest?"

"Yeah. Everything happened too suddenly, and we didn't get a proper rest the night before. We need time to recover."

Finn paused, his voice laced with exhaustion.

His eyelids were heavy, and his body felt like it had been through a war—completely drained of energy.

With tired eyes, Finn glanced at Riveria, who looked just as bad.

The elf who normally took meticulous care of her appearance now had sunken eyes, a pale complexion, and cracked lips.

Clearly, Riveria was in a terrible state.

"You look unusually awful, Riveria."

"You're our most important firepower in the fight against the Spirits. You can't afford to collapse before the time comes."

Riveria let out a sigh and closed her eyes halfway. She knew that once she fell asleep, it might be a full day before she could wake again.

The physical exhaustion was only part of it—the mental strain had dealt the real damage.

"There were too many unexpected variables. It completely derailed our original plans."

"That dragon's roar really hit us hard."

It hadn't caused any physical injuries, but the psychological blow was devastating.

"Yeah, it really was serious."

A trace of bitterness flickered across Finn's face.

Today, he finally understood why the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia had been nearly wiped out.

It wasn't because they were weak—it was because their enemy was the Black Dragon, a force so overwhelming that reason had no place against it.